Bankside, The Rose Theatre, (Toreador)
The Rose: Stronghold of the Toreador The Rose was an Elizabethan theatre. It was the fourth of the public theatres to be built, after The Theatre (1576), the Curtain (1577), and the theatre at Newington Butts (c. 1580) – and the first of several playhouses to be situated in Bankside, Southwark, in a liberty outside the jurisdiction of the City of London's civic authorities. The Rose was built in 1587 by Philip Henslowe and by a grocer named John Cholmley. It was the first purpose-built playhouse to ever stage a production of any of Shakespeare's plays. The theatre was built on a messuage called the "Little Rose," which Henslowe had leased from the parish of St. Mildred in 1585. The Rose was the first of several theatres to be situated in Bankside, Southwark near the south shore of the River Thames. The area was known for its leisure attractions such as bear/bull-baiting, gaming dens and brothels. It was located in the Liberty of Clink, a liberty outside the jurisdiction of the City of London's civic authorities. The Rose contained substantial rose gardens and two buildings; Cholmley used one as a storehouse, while Henslowe appears to have leased the other as a brothel. North of London, professional playhouses like the Curtain Theatre and The Theatre had already been open for over a decade. However, Henslowe recognized the ease at which audiences could ferry across the River of Thames and established a playhouse in this particular location. Soon enough it became the most popular playhouse in all of London! Playhouse for the Toreador It was because of this popularity that the Rose became the Stronghold of the Toreador in 1590, from here they were able to not only Embrace the most prominent poets and actors of their time but guide the future of the Rose into the most premier evening out for all the classes within the city. Some nights were set aside for the poor of London to come and gain some education in the arts themselves. Even if it went over their heads, it would sow a seed in the younger generation, a ploy that worked and thus gave the Toreador the means to watch those that had sparked their interest and guide them on a more successful path and then, Embrace them into the Eternal Play that was the Toreadors life. Not only did the Rose hold a prominent place on Bankside, but the Toreador also designed and paid for other theatres to be built nearby, The Swan in 1596 and the Globe in 1599. The Toreador built their stronghold slowly but surely and with great care interlinking the theatres through a network of tunnels although their Prince holds court in the Rose. They keep the Theatres open for the public as this gives them the chance to view prospects for the future of the clan within the actors and actresses but also through the humans that come to watch the plays, Not just actors but writers and singers too. The Toreador have enhanced the Rose and returned it to its former glory, the pride of the Toreador and well maintained and guarded not just by the Toreador but their human retainers too. It was because of this interest and their presence there that the Rose remained as the most prominent historic theatre even into the Modern Nights! Category:Bankside Category:Bankside Toreador